Baja Off-Road Racing - is there anything else...??

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As entries continue to arrive from all over the world and across the United States for the 45th anniversary of the legendary Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, all the elements for the SCOREville exhibit at the upcoming Off-Road Expo at the Fairplex in Pomona, Calif., are being finalized as well, including the live drawing for starting positions for the granddaddy of all desert races.

The SCOREville exhibit at the Off-Road Expo will salute SCORE Baja Legends and the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame on October 6 & 7.

In addition to static displays of vintage and current desert racing vehicles along with autograph sessions with many of the stars of the sport, both past and present, a live drawing for starting positions for this November’s 45th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 desert race will be held at the Off-Road Expo on Saturday, October 6.

The official course map for the race will also be unveiled during the event. SCORE will also announce and introduce the grand marshals for this year’s historic event.

On both October 6 & 7, autograph sessions will be held from noon to 2 p.m. at SCOREville with many of the top desert racers from today and yesterday.

The live drawing for starting positions, by class, as well as the unveiling of the official course map for the November 14-17 race that run down the length of the Mexico’s majestic Baja California peninsula will start in Ensenada, Baja California and finish in La Paz, Baja California Sur.

Nearly 300 entries, from nearly 20 countries and 40 U.S. States, competing in 35 Pro and six Sportsman classes for cars, truck, motorcycles and ATVs are expected to compete in this year’s international adventure. While late entries will be accepted up until race morning on Nov. 15, in order to be included in the start draw at SCOREville, entries must be received by SCORE no later than noon on Tuesday, October 2 .

“With the support and assistance from the Off-Road Expo and the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame along with BFGoodrich Tires, and Red Bull, SCORE is honored to return to the Expo in a such a huge way, much like we did in 2007 for the 40th anniversary of the granddaddy of all desert races—the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000,” said Fish, who has led SCORE since soon after it was founded in 1973.

“We know that this year as we celebrate our 45th anniversary of the greatest desert race in the world SCOREville will be even more memorable.”

SCOREville at the Expo will also include a major display from the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame as well as a pictorial tribute timeline to the first 44 years of the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 through the lenses of Trackside Photography. SCORE will also debut the official commemorative merchandise of the 45th annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. SCOREville will also feature the SCOREville theatre showing numerous SCORE Baja 1000 race videos including the iconic 2004 film “Dusty to Glory”.

The 2012 Lucas Oil Off-Road Expo Powered by General Tire is the greatest collection of off-road companies, parts, equipment, gear, and experts assembled in America with over 350 exhibitors. From off-road racing to rock crawling, trail riding to sand sports, motorcycles to ATV’s and camping to adventure travel, the event provides the unique opportunity to meet and talk with the most knowledgeable people in the off-road industry.

The Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame, located in Reno, Nev., includes SCORE’s Sal Fish as one of its legendary inductees. Rod Hall, the chairman of the ORMHOF is the only person who has raced in all 44 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 races and he has a race-record 21 class wins in the international motorsports extravaganza.
Credits: NR SCORE Intl.

SST (Stadium Super Trucks)is changing the game of off-road by offering real racers real cash. SST has the biggest pay-out in off-road offering $50,000 to the winner every Saturday night. The season is 10 races ranging from January to June and the overall points Champion will walk away will $500,000! Off-Road in Stadium SUPER Trucks will no longer be about bragging rights.
Stadium SUPER Trucks is planning a tentative schedule that include serval metropolitan areas across the west coast of the country. Stadiums like Los Angeles Coliseum, San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium are already on the 2013 schedule for multiple events plus an opportunity to become part of the historic Long Beach Grand Prix weekend festivities and a possibility of a season opener happening right on the Las Vegas Strip with metal jumps!
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Drawing for start positions this Saturday for 26th MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250. Entries from across the globe, including many of the world’s top desert racers are entering in time for Saturday’s start draw for next month’s 26th Annual MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 desert race. With the drawing being held at the SCORE International headquarters in Los Angeles, the race itself will be held March 9-11 along the azure waters of the Sea of Cortez in San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico.
With entries accepted up to race morning, over 225 entries from over 15 US States and 10 countries expected to enter the race and competition will be held in 28 Pro and 6 Sportsman classes in the popular race.
Following January’s two rounds at the season-opening SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge, the World’s Foremost Desert Racing Series will be visiting Mexico for the first of three annual SCORE Baja races in 2012.
The start draw for Round 2 of the 2012 SCORE Desert Series will determine the starting order within each of the various classes in the elapsed-time race.
“San Felipe has long been a very popular spring race on the SCORE Baja racing schedule and this is our third year with MasterCraft Safety as the co-title sponsor of the race along with Tecate,” said Sal Fish, SCORE CEO/President since soon after SCORE was founded in 1973. “With this year’s race being our third of the season we expect a great race in a superb venue that will launch are three final races of the season in Mexico.”
Pre-running will be allowed on the actual race course from Saturday, Feb. 25 through Friday, March 9 and SCORE CEO/President expects to announce details regarding the 2012 course in the next two weeks.
A unique part of Saturday’s drawing will be the special drawing for the top 12 finishers from the nearest previous SCORE Baja race entered in the current race in both SCORE Trophy Truck and the unlimited Class 1. For this race it will be the top 12 finishers in each class from last November’s 44th Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. After those groups are drawn, the remainder of the entries in each class will be selected for their respective starting positions after the first group in each class.
The top 12 finishers in SCORE Trophy Truck from the 2011 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 were: Andy McMillin/Scott McMillin-National City, Calif., Nick Vanderwey/Mike Vanderwey, Phoenix/Curt LeDuc, Cherry Valley, Calif., Bryce Menzies-Las Vegas, Mark McMillin-El Cajon, Calif., Clyde Stacy-Bristol, Va., Jesse James-Austin, Texas, Ken Losch-Tempe, Ariz., Robby Gordon-Charlotte, N.C., Troy Herbst-Las Vegas, Rick Geiser-Phoenix, Rob MacCachren-Las Vegas and Dave Crinklaw-Reedley, Calif.
In the unlimited Class 1, the top 12 finishers from the 2011 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 were: Justin Davis-Chino Hills, Calif., Ronny Wilson-Long Beach, Calif., Brian Parkhouse-Long Beach, Calif., Mark Hutchins-Henderson, Nev., Damen Jefferies-Apple Valley, Calif., Eric Harp, Panama City Beach, Fla., Brett Lenk-Newport Beach, Calif., David Greenhill/Mike Greenhill-Crowley, Texas, Marco Valdez-Ensenada, Mexico, Conan Barker-Whittier, Calif., Kory Halopoff-Orange, Calif. and Mike Childress-Wrightwood, Calif.
The pre-race Manufacturer’s Midway and tech inspection of the vehicles in the race will be held on Friday, March 9 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the picturesque Malecon, flanked by the Sea of Cortez on one side and the popular restaurants and night clubs of San Felipe on the other.
Moving out from the shadow of his father and his uncle’s experienced tracks, Southern California desert racer Cody Parkhouse has assumed the SCORE overall and unlimited Class 1 point lead after the first two rounds of the five-race 2012 SCORE Desert Series. With the season’s last three races all to be run in Baja, Mexico, Cody Parkhouse, 24 of Long Beach, Calif., opened the season at the SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge in mid-January by finishing second in the first round and winning the second in a Chevy-powered Jimco open-wheeled desert race car the following day.
A second-generation desert racer and the youngest of the three Parkhouse racers, Cody Parkhouse has 103 season points.
With Mexico’s Juan C. Lopez finishing second in both Laughlin races in the No. 18 RPM Off-Road Chevy Silverado to lead the featuring SCORE Trophy Truck division points, RPM leads the point standings in seven classes after the first two races of the five-race 2012 SCORE Desert Series. Lopez, of Tecate, Mexico, is also second overall in points with 101 heading into the MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250.
With 11 racers winning their respective classes both days in Laughlin, third in overall points and second in SCORE Trophy Truck after ninth and first place finishes to open the season is Las Vegas’ Rob MacCachren, who has 94 points after two races in the No. 20 MasterCraft Racing Ford F-150. An eight-time SCORE season class point champion, MacCachren’s win in Round 2 in Laughlin was his 10th career race win in SCORE Trophy Truck, the marquee SCORE racing division for high-tech, 850-horsepower, unlimited production trucks.
With consistent Laughlin finishes of fourth and third, Steve Strobel, Clarks, Neb., is fourth in SCORE Overall points and third in SCORE Trophy Truck with 90 points in the No. 94 Strobel Motorsports Ford F-150 while rounding out the top five overall and second in Class 1 is Harley Letner, Orange, Calif., who has 90 points after his fourth and second-place finishes in Laughlin.
Cody Parkhouse’s father and uncle are both third in their respective class point standings with Cody’s father Brian racing in Class 1 as well as his son and his uncle Brent racing in SCORE Lites.
The most extensive and impressive team performance in Laughlin was recorded by RPM Off-Road of Bristol, Tenn. While Justin Matney, one of the team’s primary drivers rehabs a bad back, team regular driver Clyde Stacy along with several other drivers, recorded 11 class wins among the nine vehicles RPM had entered in two Laughlin races.
RPM Off-Road earned 11 total class wins among their nine entries in each of the season-opening Laughlin races on the way to leading the points in an unprecedented seven SCORE classes. Besides Lopez in SCORE Trophy Truck, Stacy, Bristol, Va. leads both Class 5-1600 (1600cc VW Baja Bug) and Class 2 (PSD-Chevy), the other RPM class point leaders are Eduardo Laguna, Mexicali, Mexico (Class 6, Chevy Colorado), Rodolfo Iribe, San Ysidro, Calif. (Class 8, Chevy Silverado), Derek Fletcher, Abingdon, Va. (Class 4, PSD-Chevy) and Jim Bunn, Bristol, Va. (Sportsman Buggy, Geiser-Chevy). Stacy, Laguna, Iribe, Fletcher and Bunn each won their respective classes in both of the Laughlin races.
Round 3 of the 2012 SCORE Desert Series, the MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 annually provides a greater economic impact to San Felipe than the popular six-week-long ‘Spring Break’.
The race began in 1982 and was not held between 1985 and 1989, the first five years of the seven-year combined High Desert Racing Association-HDRA/SCORE Desert Series of US and Baja races. It has been held consecutively each year since 1990.
In its first 25 years, the race has been held in San Felipe all but 2007 when political issues forced a last minute move by SCORE, starting it in Ensenada and finishing it in Santo Tomas. Ironically, 2007 saw a race-record 394 starters and a race record 288 finishers even though the race was moved and the course changed just 10 days before the event. The records when the race actually started and finished in San Felipe are 341 for starters in 2006 and 220 for finishers, also in 2006.
In addition to season class point championships, the racers are also competing for part of the nearly $400,000 in cash purse and contingency postings each race. Drivers in the Pro car and truck classes are also attempting to earn prestigious SCORE Toyota Milestone Awards given to all car and truck class drivers who complete every required mile of the five-race season. Being presented by Toyota Motorsports for the 27th consecutive year, a total of 61 drivers are still in the hunt for the awards for the 2012 SCORE Desert Series after the first two rounds in the five-race series.
Racers are also competing for the annual SCORE Off-Roadsman of the Year awards, including the MasterCraft Safety SCORE Rookie of the Year award. All categories, except Engine Builder and Original Buggy Chassis Manufacturer, will be determined by public on-line voting while Engine and Buggy awards are determined by season points.
Tecate Beer is the title sponsor of the three SCORE Baja races.
MasterCraft Safety is co-title sponsor of the 26th MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250.
Content credits: SCORE Intl. News Release

Reality TV star Jesse James has received the first
starting position during Saturday’s drawing for November’s 44th running
of the legendary Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 desert race. While James, who
lives in Austin, Texas, will pilot his No. 54 Chevy Silverado SCORE
Trophy Truck, starting first among the motorcycle and ATV classes will
be Craig Bowman on a Honda CRF450X.
Find the drawing results for trucks and cars at the independent www.score-baja-1000.com here - Motorcycles and ATV at Off-Road Baja here...
This year’s internationally televised granddaddy of all desert races,
the mammoth finale of the five-race 2011 SCORE Desert Series will be a
loop race starting and finishing in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico,
with race week festivities scheduled for Nov. 17-20.
A solid total of 202 vehicles officially entered in time for
Saturday’s drawing held at SCORE International’s headquarters in Los
Angeles.
The race itself starts on Friday, Nov. 18 and official entry forms are
available online along with all pertinent race information and
prerunning rules on the SCORE website.
With late entries accepted up until race morning, nearly 300 entries
from over 30 US States and 15 countries are expected to take the green
flag in the 692.82-mile course, competing in 35 Pro and seven Sportsman
classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs.
In addition to the 31 States represented on the entry list to date,
racers have already officially entered from Australia, Canada, Chile,
Denmark, France, Germany, Guatemala, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lithuania,
Mexico, the Netherlands and the US Territory of Guam.
It’s the oldest and most well known of all desert races, and it
remains as the single most appealing accomplishment to a racer. Since
1967, the race has been run over the mysterious Baja California
peninsula every year except 1974 when the international fuel crisis
forced a cancellation.
This year’s race will start for the 37th time and finish for the 21st
time in Ensenada. Completing its 38th year as the world’s foremost
desert racing sanctioning body, the event is the finale of the five-race
2011 SCORE Desert Series. The race will start and finish on Boulevard
Costero adjacent to the picturesque Bahia de Todos Santos in front of
the iconic Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center in the heart of
Ensenada.
Prerunning on the 692.82-mile loop course will officially begin on Nov 4.
Drawing the first start among the ATV classes was the Class 25 team led by Richard Stanley.
The motorcycle and ATV classes will start their journey at 6:30 a.m.
(Friday, Nov. 18) with the car and truck classes starting at
approximately 11:45 a.m., or four hours after the last ATV leaves the
line. With the course open for 32 hours in the elapsed-time race, the
fastest finishers are expected to complete the course in approximately
14 hours.
Pre-race festivities on Thursday, Nov. 17, including the vastly
popular tech and contingency of all vehicles and the SCORE
Manufacturer’s Midway will be held from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Boulevard
Costero in front of the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center. The
pre-race driver/rider mjeeting will be held Thursday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m.
in the Cathedral Room at the Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center. Racer
and media registration will both be held at the San Nicolas Resort
Hotel in Ensenada on Wednesday, Nov. 16 and Thursday, Nov. 17.
The post-race awards celebration will be held poolside at the San Nicolas Resort Hotel at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 20.
The featured SCORE Trophy Truck division for high-tech, 850-horsepower
unlimited production trucks had 32 vehicles entered in time for
Saturday’s start draw.
Starting second will be Mexico’s son/father team of Gus Vildosola
Jr./Gus Vildosola, who teamed last year to become the first Mexican
national team to win the overall 4-wheel title of the Tecate SCORE Baja
1000. Driving the No. 21 Vildosola Racing Ford F-150 SCORE Trophy Truck,
the Vildosola’s, of Mexicali, were also the finished vehicle overall in
the race down the Baja California peninsula to La Paz.
Starting second among the motorcycles will be last year’s overall
motorcycle winners in this race, Kendall Norman, Santa Barbara,
Calif./Quinn Cody, Buellton, Calif. on the No. 1x JCR Honda Racing Honda
CRF450X.
While entries will be accepted will be accepted up to race morning,
late entries will be assigned the next available number and starting
position within each class.
Besides SCORE Trophy Truck with 32, the car and truck classes with
the most entries to date are unlimited Class 1 (22) and Class 1/2-1600
(12).
Among the motorcycle and ATV classes, Class 22 for open motorcycles has the most entries so far with 13.
Leading the six Sportsman classes in the race is Sportsman Motorcycle over 250cc which had 17 entries in the drawing.
The 692.82-mile race course this year is a combination of much of the
2008 and the 2009 courses. The rugged course that travels from Ensenada
east through Ojos Negros, down Laguna Salada to San Felipe, down
through the three legendary Baja canyon washes of Matomi, Huatomote and
Chanate, joining familiar routes to the six-mile turnoff before Mike’s
Sky Rancho, heading over to the Pacific Coast crossing Highway 1 near
San Vicente and to Erendira, then through Santo Tomas, Uruapan and back
to Ojos Negros, covering much of the northern half of the majestic Baja
California peninsula to and from Ensenada.

Using experience, talent and finesse to skillfully guide his high-tech, 850-horsepower SCORE Trophy-Truck, Las Vegas’ Rob MacCachren scorched a strong field of challengers Saturday as he overcame heat soaring past 100 degrees, 25 percent humidity and winds gusting to 24 miles per hour to capture the overall victory in the inaugural Tecate SCORE San Felipe Challenge of Champions desert race. SCORE released official results following complete review of vehicle tracking devices.
Sizzling across the parched, sandy, silty, rocky and dusty 252.09-mile desert race course that covered much of the northern part of the Baja California peninsula in the No. 20 MasterCraft Racing Ford F-150 SCORE Trophy-Truck, ‘Rockstar Rob’ completed the course in a speedy four hours, 12 minutes, 21 seconds, averaging a spectacular 59.94 miles per hour.
Round 4 of the five-race 2011 SCORE Desert Series was held Saturday in San Felipe, Baja, California, Mexico. This race was a replacement for the Primm 300 race that was cancelled this year because of insurmountable insurance issues.
The race started and finished adjacent to the iconic San Felipe arches entering town. A total of 52 of 77 official starters (67.53 percent) finished in 19 Pro and 2 Sportsman classes for cars and trucks within the 11-hour time limit in the elapsed-time race. The dramatic 252.09-mile course covered three of the legendary, picturesque and treacherous Baja washes and canyons: Matomi, Huatomote and Chanate before heading back to the finish line at the landmark San Felipe Arches.
For MacCachren, 46, his ninth career SCORE Trophy-Truck race win yielded a winning time that was actually 5:24 faster than when he captured March’s 25th MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250 in March on the same desert race course used Saturday. The veteran MacCachren, a six-time all-America motorsports driver including three first team awards, has earned eight SCORE class season point championships in his sterling career. MacCachren is also currently in rehabilitation for a broken left collarbone he sustained will racing in a short course race in Southern California a few weeks ago.
Second overall and in SCORE Trophy-Truck was Gary Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore., who finished in 4:21:41, a split of 9:20 behind the winning MacCachren in the No. 98 TSCO Motorsports Ford F-150. Finishing third overall and in SCORE Trophy-Truck was series overall and SCORE Trophy-Truck point leader Bryce Menzies, also of Las Vegas, with a time of 4:24:23, a total of 2:42 behind Weyhrich and 12:02 behind MacCachren in the No. 70 Menzies Motorsports Ford F-150.
Earning his first SCORE unlimited Class 1 victory and finishing four overall was third generation desert racer Daniel McMillin, National City, Calif., and Chuck Hovey, Escondido, Calif. who teamed to finish in 4:29:23 in a Chevy-powered Jimco open-wheel desert race car.
Completing the top five overall finishers in the race was Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Tenn., who was fourth in SCORE Trophy-Truck in 4:32:24 in the No. 18 RPM Offroad Chevy Silverado. The RPM Offroad team had a SCORE-record seven entries in the race.
MacCachren, who started the race from the pole after drawing the first start, battled closely with Mexico’s Gus Vildosola Jr. from right after the start all the way up to race mile 199 before getting back by the No. 21 Vildosola Motorsports Ford F-150 when it was down with a mechanical issue.
“The pace this morning was really quick and the truck was working great at the start,” reflected MacCachren at the finish line. “It just felt so good – we were just really going. When we got up to San Matias, Gus Jr. was getting close and when we pulled in and got gas, he went by us. At about mile 198, we were probably about a minute or so behind him and his left rear wheel came off and once that happened, we got to the other side and started getting reports of where we were and then we just backed down and made sure that we got it in here to the finish line.”
“The biggest difference between this race and the one that we won here in March is that the shocks are the biggest thing. We just keep working on the shocks and making them better and better. The track here in San Felipe gets rougher the more we go over it so it’s all about shocks. These SCORE Trophy-Trucks, you’ve really got to do a good job of prepping them and dot all your i’s and cross your t’s and we’re getting that figured out, I guess. Jimco preps this truck for Robbie Pierce and MasterCraft Racing, and the whole time I’ve been driving it, there really have not been any major failures with the assembly of the truck. The point’s race is not over until it’s over and I’ve learned that many times before. It’s going to be close going into the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 and that’s great.”
Menzies, 23, and MacCachren both have two overall and SCORE race wins in SCORE Trophy-Truck this season and Menzies holds a slim six-point advantage over MacCachren going into November’s season-ending 44th Annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. MacCachren will make a special live guest appearance Sunday at 6 p.m. (PDT) on the Wind Tunnel motorsports talk show with Dave Despain on the Speed Channel nationwide.
Heidi Steele, San Clemente, Calif. and third generation desert racer Jessica McMillin, National City, Calif., both won their classes as the only two female drivers of record in the race. Steele won Class 6 for the second time this season in a Ford Ranger with help from Rene Brugger, San Diego and McMillin remained unbeaten in the Protruck class in a Ford F-150. McMillin received a huge assist in this race from her father Scott and brother Andy who each drove roughly one-third of the race. Class 1 winner Daniel McMillin is Jessica McMillin’s cousin.
Also winning for the fourth consecutive race was Clyde Stacy, Bristol, Tenn. (Class 4, PSD-Chevy). The racers who won this race to give them three wins in four races in this year’s SCORE Desert Series were: Kevin Carr, San Diego (Class 5, VW Baja Bug) and Justin Matney, Bristol, Tenn. (Class 8, Chevy Silverado).
In addition to MacCachren and Steele, also pulling off their second class wins of the season were Matt Cullen, Long Beach, Calif. (Class 10, AlumiCraft-VW), Arturo Alvarez, Mexicali, Mexico (Class 7, Ford Ranger), Wes Bevly III, Corpus Christi, Texas (Stock Full, Stock Full, Ford F-150) and Emilio Salcido, Mexicali, Mexico (Class 5/1600, VW Baja Bug).
Among the other class winners who won their respective classes for the first time this season were twin brothers Arturo and Abel Velazco (Class 1-2/1600) Zak Langley, Santa Monica, Calif. (SCORE Lite, Smithbuilt-VW) and Reid Rutherford, Montrose, Colo. (Class 7-2, Mason-Chevy).
The Sportsman Car class winner was Peter Lang, Santa Rosa, Calif. in a Homebuilt-Buick, who won his class for the third time this season.
The RPM Offroad team of Bristol, Tenn., had a SCORE-record seven entries in this race. RPM Offroad had its five regular entries in the new Tecate SCORE San Felipe Challenge of Champions--SCORE Trophy-Truck-fourth place (Clyde Stacy), Class 4-first place (Clyde Stacy), Class 8-first place (Justin Matney), Class 11-did not finish (Justin Matney) and Stock Full-dnf (John Matney). They added two additional entries for this race in Stock Mini (dnf) with Justin Matney as driver of record and Class 17 (dnf) with Stacy as the driver of record. The team obviously has several co-drivers to assist the drivers of record but SCORE rules do require that in order to receive points for the race, the driver of record must either start or finish the race which was a unique challenge in itself for the formidable RPM Offroad team.
In four races this season, RPM Offroad has now recorded 10 eight class wins in four different classes and continues to lead the class point standings in three classes--Class 8, Class 11 and Class 4. Additionally, the team is second in Stock Full.
In addition to season class point championships, the racers are also competing for part of the nearly $300,000 in cash purse and contingency postings each race. Drivers in the Pro car and truck classes are attempting to earn prestigious SCORE Toyota Milestone Awards given to all car and truck class drivers who complete every required mile of the five-race season. Being presented by Toyota Motorsports for the 26th consecutive year, a total of 27 drivers remain eligible after Round 3 of the 2011 SCORE Desert Series. Racers are also competing for the annual SCORE Off-Roadsman of the Year awards, including the MasterCraft Safety SCORE Rookie of the Year award.
The season finale of the 2011 Desert Series will be the 44th annual Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, to be held Nov. 16-20 in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico.
Find a compiled, syndicated Challenge of Champions race report at Puro Off-Road

The SCORE International off-road racing web site says it all with a post stating that the group’s next event will be Sept. 9-11 in Baja Mexico at a venue to be determined. Formerly scheduled for August in Primm south of Las Vegas, the move of the Primm 300 to Mexico was apparently the result of high fees required for the event in Southern Nevada along with restrictions placed on SCORE because of the desert tortoise.

However, there is a much deeper lesson to be learned in the move to Mexico in that off-road racing in the United States is under pressure big-time following the tragedy which killed eight and injured at least 12 northeast of Los Angeles last year.

Legendary race promoter Sal Fish, who has been presenting races in Mexico for decades, simply washed his hands of the issues in Primm and moved yet another race to Mexico which opens its arms to the sport.
SCORE now has a five-race series and four of the events are in Mexico. The other – the Laughlin Desert Challenge in January – is the only event held in the United States.

The loss of a major racing event in Southern Nevada is a huge blow considering that SCORE generally attracts at least 200 vehicles and crews generating good amounts of revenue. In the case of Primm, the move to Mexico is a big loss to yet another small town struggling to survive in a miserable economy.

The Bureau of Land Management which overseas off-road racing events has been under attack since the crash in Southern California and every off-road promoting group now faces stricter guidelines as it relates to insurance and the rest.

In the case of Fish, enough was enough before he pulled the plug and headed for Baja long considered a great place to gather for both the scenery and the competition. The Primm event reportedly included greatly increased fees and Fish simply wiped his hands and headed south.

As off-road racing promoters continue to grapple with increased fees; along with environmental and safety concerns, Southern Nevada will continue to see events like SCORE’s Primm 300 moving on to other venues.

Primm becomes the second small Southern Nevada town to lose an off-road event after many years. Caliente, a charming little town situated about 180 miles north of Las Vegas, lost the Dusty Times 250 after more than two decades when the Southern Nevada Off Road Enthusiasts lost the permit to the event to a Utah promoter which is reportedly moving the event to another Nevada town.

Then, too, SNORE is facing its own problems with the BLM following the running of the Mint 400 earlier this year. The club was forced to move its annual Midnight Special event to the Moapa Indian Reservation July 20-31 after first planning to run it in Jean.

In any case, the exit of Sal Fish and SCORE from Southern Nevada off-road racing – with the exception of the Laughlin Desert Challenge each January -- is not only a huge loss but also a sign of the times when it comes to discussing the future of the sport which has been a part of the area for more than 50 years.

And for those who feel that Mexico is unsafe, at least one freelance writer and former resident of Southern Utah disagrees.

“It’s safer in Baja than Southern Nevada, to be honest,” said Ed Kociela, a veteran journalist who moved to Baja several months ago. “The ace is over more rugged terrain and a much better gig than Primm. But that stereotype about Baja is just so much BS. Try Mexico near the Texas border.

“Violence? Ever been to South Central Los Angeles? Would you not go to Disneyland because of the criminal activity in the inner city? We feel safer in Baja than in North Las Vegas. Sorry, Baja is a peaceful, wonderful place filled with cordial, nice people. The only time I feel uncomfortable is when I see the drunken “ugly Americans” throwing money, attitude and disrespect around Cabo or San Jose; or start rattling off about how wonderful the Americans are without realizing Mexico and Canada are part of America, too. Some people just don’t’ have a clue.”

Considering Kociela’s comments, Sal Fish may not have had such a tough decision to make after all. With the heavy handed BLM cracking down on everything from off-road racers to wild horses, sounds to me like Fish just might have the right idea in the first place.

In the words of one prominent off-road executive, “It won’t be long before all off-road racing events are in Mexico.”

Winning the unlimited Class 1 and finishing seventh overall among 4-wheel vehicles was the talented team of Steven Eugenio, Alpine, Calif./Adam Pfankuch, Oceanside, Calif., in their debut race in a new Chevy-powered Jimco open-wheel desert race car. The pair won earlier this year in San Felipe in the SCORE Lite class.

The rugged 452.84-mile course was a very similar to the last three years, although it is about 14 miles longer and the terrain has changed because of natural weather patterns that impact both sides of the race course on the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez and in the middle in the summit section. The course, which runs in a clockwise direction, resembled a deflating balloon, winding east to Ojos Negros, down to near San Felipe, back West to the Pacific Ocean below San Vicente and back north east through Santo Tomas on the way back to Ojos Negros and then Ensenada.

With racing continuing in the elapsed-time race that had a 23-hour time limit until 10:20 a.m. Pacific Time Sunday, both the start and the finish line were located in the heart of Ensenada, Mexico on Boulevard Costero adjacent to the historic Riviera del Pacifico Cultural Center. It was the fourth straight year that both the pre-race activities and the finish were all held on this historic boulevard. SCORE officials released the official results following complete data tracking review Sunday morning after the course closed.

Roger Norman and the 2011 Baja team is gathering at Norman Motorsports in El Cajon, CA for final preparations and training maneuvers before heading across the border to pre-run for the 2011 SCORE Baja 500. This years team will consist of Roger Norman driving the entire 500 miles with Lance Clifford as the co-driver for the first 300 miles and then Tim Nugent will co-driver to the finish line in celebration of his full recovery. “Tim Nugent is the only thing tougher than my BFGoodrich Tires in Baja! He is the motorcycle rider hit at last years Baja 500, who over the last 11 months has successfully recovered from 23 broken bones,” said Roger Norman. “When Tim told me he still wanted to conquer the Baja 500 I asked him to be a part of our team. Not only will he conquer it, but he will be in the truck with me at the finish line to celebrate a win and his full recovery!”

A year after one of the most horrific moments in Roger Norman’s racing career, the anniversary couldn’t be brighter. “Roger is a great person. Throughout the whole ordeal at the hospital he would come to visit,” said Tim Nugent. “We are taking something tragic and making something better out of it. We’re both healing. It’s a celebration, it’s not a closure, it’s another door opening.”

During the 2010 Baja 500 race, first time Baja competitor, Sportsman motorcycle rider Tim Nugent from Georgia, continued to race on course instead of pulling off and waiting for dust to clear after being passed by #35 Robbie Pierce’s trophy truck and didn’t realize that the #8 Roger Norman trophy truck was in the hunt to pass Pierce. The motorcycle was grazed by the right front tire of Normans truck in the blinding dust. As soon as the incident occurred, Norman stopped the truck, called for immediate assistance and got out to assist the down rider. “The accident with the Sportsman motorcycle rider in the dust has shook me to the core. I have been devastated and demoralized about off-road racing since Saturday’s race,” commented Roger Norman in an email to his fellow Trophy Truck competitors immediately after the incident. “We have all had our close calls and I can tell you that until you run someone over in the dust of another trophy truck at over 100 mph you will not understand the devastating feeling that is created even if they come out with non life threatening injuries.”

In the past year, Roger Norman has made a significant impact on the Off Road Racing Community educating and demanding better safety measures to be instilled into racing environments. Best in the Desert Series has mandated red flashing lights on the helmet of motorcycle and ATV Riders, SCORE has widened the start times between the two classes, and all series are more aware of their responsibility to help keep racers safe and is encouraging training programs for sportsman race classes.

Meanwhile, Tim Nugent was successfully completing his physical therapy and pushing himself with every personal trainer appointment. “It has showed me what I can do. The Doctors had to stop telling me ‘what I wasn’t going to be able to do’ and instead change to telling me ‘what I couldn’t do’ because they knew that I was going to try everything!” said Tim Nugent. “I think something that Roger and I have in common is if we are told we can’t do it, we try even harder to be successful at it!”

“I think the hardest part is going to be getting in and out of the truck having to wear my brace,” said Nugent. Turning to this weeks preparation for the upcoming 2011 Baja 500, the Norman Motorsports team will be timing tire changes, belt changes and getting in and out of the truck. “It is almost impossible to do as great of a job as what Lance does as a co-driver,” said Roger Norman. “I think with some practice and training we can get Tim up to speed to help for the 140 or so miles that he will be in the truck.”

The 3 person team will head to Baja to pre-run later this week through next week. They will be available at Contingency in Ensenada, Baja on Friday June 3rd and will start 17th on Saturday June 4th in the #8 Crystal Bay Casino Trophy Truck.

No matter what the finishing time or place, it is a guarantee that you will see this team up on top of the Crystal Bay Casino #8 Trophy Truck celebrating Tim Nugent’s full recovery!

The Dos Mares 500 is on its way, the ceremonial start, with a fair turnout on spectators at the Malecon in La Paz, Baja California Sur is done for 2011. The "real" start for this Baja Sur off-road desert race occurs as we write here, the bikes and quads already out, the trophy trucks, class 1 and other car classes will follow in app. 45 min. We post this "on the fly" enroute to the racecourse that criss-cross the southern Baja Peninsula from the Sea of Cortez / Gulf of California to the Pacific and back with the finish in La Paz

Adding yet another jewel to his illustrious desert racing crown, Las Vegas’ Rob MacCachren overpowered a talent-laden field of 220 starters to capture the overall and SCORE Trophy-Truck victory Saturday in the 25th MasterCraft Safety Tecate SCORE San Felipe 250. SCORE released the official results today after completion of vehicle data tracking device review.

Setting a blistering pace right from the start in San Felipe in the No. 20 MasterCraft Racing Ford F-150 SCORE Trophy-Truck, "Rockstar Rob" covered the sandy, silty, rocky and dusty 252.09-mile course in just four hours, 17 minutes, 45 seconds, averaging an impressive 58.68 miles per hour.

Surging past a strong field of 24 SCORE Trophy-Trucks, the marquee SCORE racing division for high-tech, 850-horsepower unlimited production trucks, MacCachren earned his 45th career SCORE class win, his eighth career SCORE Trophy-Truck race win along with his seventh class win including his third SCORE Trophy-Truck and overall race victory in San Felipe.

The Las Vegas native who has also been selected to the AARWBA All-America motorsports team six times and has eight SCORE season class point championships on his racing resume, MacCachren, 45, beat not only the cars and trucks, but also the motorcycles and ATVs that competed in the popular ‘spring break’ event.

His hard-earned victory margin was just 44 seconds as defending San Felipe SCORE Trophy-Truck and reigning SCORE Trophy-Truck season point champion Jesse Jones, Litchfield Park, Ariz., who diced back and forth with MacCachren the entire race, averaging 58.52mph in the No. 1 Jones Motorsports Ford F-250. Jones also finished second overall as SCORE Trophy-Trucks lived up to their star billing by claiming the top 10 overall finishing positions in the race.

Finishing third overall and in SCORE Trophy-Truck was the 2005 championship son/father team of Andy and Scott McMillin of National City, Calif., with a time of 4:18:53, averaging 58.43mph in the No. 31 McMillin Realty Ford F-150. The McMillins were also in the hunt all day, finishing just 24 seconds behind Jones and one minute, eight seconds behind MacCachren in an extremely close finish among the podium placements.

Fourth overall and in SCORE Trophy-Truck was the pole-sitting brother team of Nick, Larry and Mike Vanderwey of Phoenix who completed the course in 4:26:53 (56.67mph) in the No. 84 Flying Dutchmen Racing Chevy Silverado.

Gary Weyhrich, Troutdale, Ore., finished fifth overall and in SCORE Trophy-Truck with a time of 4:27:07 (56.63mph) in the No. 98 TSCO Motorsports Ford F-150.

Youthful Justin Davis, the 17-year old phenom from Chino Hills, Calif., won his second straight class win in the unlimited Class 1 in an ESM-Chevy. Davis, who won last year’s SCORE Lite season point championship, is in his first year in the unlimited open-wheel racing class and finished 11th overall in San Felipe.

The 220 starters from 22 States, nine countries competed in 28 Pro and 6 Sportsman classes for cars, truck, motorcycles and ATVs. The dramatic 252.09-mile course covered three of the legendary, picturesque and treacherous Baja washes and canyons: Matomi, Huatomote and Chanate before heading back to the finish line in the shadow of the landmark San Felipe Arches. A total of 148 adventurers officially completed the rugged course within the 11-hour time limit for an amazing 67.3 finishing percentage.

Earning the overall motorcycle victory for the second straight year was the Johnny Campbell Racing team of Colton Udall/Jeff Kargola of San Clemente, Calif. They divided up the riding on the JCR/Honda CRF450X to a winning time of 4:36:51, averaging 54.63 mph over the brutally-tough course.

Brandon Brown, Umatilla, Ore., led hist team to the Overall ATV and his third SCORE Class 24 victory in the last four SCORE Baja races on a Honda TRX450R. Brown, the reigning SCORE Overall ATV and Class 24 season point champion, split the riding time fairly equally with co-riders Jorie Williams, Longview, Wash./Kenny Sanford, Tacoma, Wash./Robbie Mitchell, Price, Utah. They covered the course in 6:17:13, averaging 40.10mph to defeat a field of 27 Pro ATVs that started the race.

SCORE Trophy-Trucks have now won 15 overalls in San Felipe in the 18-year history of SCORE’s premier racing division.

In the first 25 years of this race, Honda has earned 16 overall motorcycle victories (including the last six years straight and 14 of the last 15 years), Kawasaki has six, KTM has two and Husqvarna has one.

“We struggled with the power steering since San Matias,” commented MacCachren, who won in SCORE Trophy-Truck for the first time since 2007. “Every bump you hit…you can’t go hard; you just cruise. We took off with just a real conservative pace and they started dropping one by one. When we dropped into Matomi Wash, Jesse (Jones) was first on the road, (Gary) Weyhrich was second and I was third. Jesse Jones had a flat tire right at the beginning of Matomi and we got by him.”

“He was getting stuck so we went by and right at the end of Matomi, we got by Weyhrich and then we had the physical lead all the way in. The power steering, we were really struggling with that and Jesse was pretty much on my bumper the whole way in. I knew he had to get by me and put 30 seconds on me to win and we were going to do everything we could to keep that from happening. There were absolutely no problems at all with the truck (other than the power steering) and we didn’t have any flats. I really needed this (win); it’s great.”

2011 BITD Parker 425 post-race quotes from some of the top finishers. More than 200 of North Americas best off-road racers have signed up for the 2011 running of the Blue Water Resort & Casino Parker 425. It was the 40th year that the city of Parker has hosted an off-road race along the Colorado River. A record breaking field of 34 Trick Trucks (equivalent of Trophy Trucks) entered that event. The starter list reads like a “who’s who” of the most renowned racers in the country. Pre-race the withdraw of the #2 Trick Truck, “Pistol” Pete Sohren, supposedly a sponsor jumped away. At the same breath Pete Sohren announced to team up with Armin Schwarz for the SCORE San Felipe 250. See the breaking news pistol vision here.

A bad weekend also for Robby Gordon on his fans. So far 2011 for Gordon it is 3 starts, 3 fails! Another DNF after a 3rd place qualifying, featuring the new Bud Light sponsor, at this BitD race.

Also, a strong running at the beginning of the race for Andy McMillin with a less stellar outcome. O-tone / Facebook Andy McMillin: “Here’s what happened. Tied on time with Rob Mac, at mile 137 on lap 2 I missed a 90 degree right hand turn on a fast road. Instead of trying to make the turn, I drove over the berm and into what I thought was open desert. Instead it was a 15 foot ditch. The Motec in our truck says we went from 93mph to 0 in a quarter of a second. I’m sore but I’ll be fine.”
Read the complete report at Puro Off-Road Parker 425

Baja Racing of Texas announces New Off-Road Racing Series. Exciting news from the Lone Star state as a new off-road race series is announced today. Baja Racing of Texas, LLC (BRT) will be launching a new off road racing series for the upcoming 2011 season. The BRT was formed by Chris Leitner (BRT President) and is the next step in the continuing growth of off-road racing in Texas. The goal of the BRT is to provide safe, fun and challenging racing venues for the entire off-road community. In light of the current issues plaguing the southern borders of the US and the on-going changes plaguing the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) over land use on the west coast, Texas is primed to be the future of off road racing in the United States. Leitner stated “When you look at the states that have the land to hold these type of events the list is very short and the fact that Texas land is privately owned with no BLM interaction, then Texas really is the next step for the off-road community. We plan to offer the ‘Texas Premiere Off-Road Racing Experience’ to the racers, fans and sponsors attending our events”.

Leitner has assembled a large staff to assist him in this project. This group has an impressive 100 plus years of combined experience in organizing, promoting and participating in off-road racing events.

Since all of the land in Texas is privately owned, successful partnerships with Landowners have been established and additional land owners will be on board for the 2012 season. Leitner stated “We are focused on working with new property owners, Texas based businesses, The Texas Motorized Trails Coalition and other race organizations to establish new locations for future events.” The BRT will be running their 2011 off road racing events at Texana Ranch located in Blackwell, TX starting with the Blackwell 250 April 7-10. This 4,682 acre property has been owned by the Beal family since 1979 and offers a variety of terrains not often seen at west coast off-road racing events. Instead of the vast expanses of sand and cactus, the 40+ mile course at Texana Ranch winds through tree-filled areas, dry creek beds and up and down hills.

BRT will be offering familiar race classes, safety guidelines and has established a relationship with the rock crawling community to incorporate 4-wheel drive (Ultra 4) vehicles into the series as well as an endurance Motorcycle race at the October 27-30 event. Chris Leitner stated “We are looking forward to our relationship with Cameron Chin with Krawltex Motorsports and Jeremy Dickinson who will be spearheading our new 4400 race class. We know these guys will bring some great competition and great viewing for the spectators.”

SCORE International has announced that SCORE has added four classes and modified 10 others among its 34 Pro and six Sportsman racing classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs in the five-race SCORE Desert Series.
SCORE Intl. has introduced Class 2, Class 2-D, SCORE Extreme Lite and the SCORE Ultra Green. These new classes will allow SCORE to remain current with the demands of the racing enthusiasts as well as cultural advancements within the industry. From developing the first classes allowing turbo and super-charged engines, both regular gasoline and diesel, to introducing the first class for hybrid or electric vehicles.
Under the guidance of long-time SCORE Tech Director Bill Savage, the descriptions of SCORE’s new competition classes are:

In describing some of the reasoning behind the new classes, Savage, whose SCORE Tech facility is in Vista, Calif., commented, “SCORE wants to keep up with the trends in society which seek more gas mileage, smaller engines and maintain similar horsepower. Additionally, we think now is the time to introduce turbo and super-charged engines, both gasoline and diesel, into SCORE desert racing. We have also identified and modified some rules in four existing SCORE classes to help increase the popularity and keep the classes more affordable for the racers to compete in.”
The most notable rule changes to existing classes are in Class 10, an unlimited open-wheel class with limited engines. Beginning this season SCORE is requiring that all newly-teched vehicles have stock, sealed motors from the manufacturers in an effort to help keep the popular class going and make it more affordable for those competitors who don’t want to move up to the unlimited Class 1.

Under the new rules in Class 10, single-seat open-wheel vehicles with the stock, sealed factory motors can have up to 2.2 liters (2200cc) and two-seaters can have engines up to 2.5 liters (2500cc).

In the motorcycle and ATV classes with changes, the engine displacement cc requirements have been changed to 400cc or less and 401cc or more.

The five-race SCORE Desert Series features two races annual in Southern Nevada and three in Mexico’s Baja California peninsula.
SCORE races in the United States feature 25 Pro and two Sportsman classes for cars and trucks and in Mexico the SCORE races have 34 Pro and six Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs.